<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Bunking Buddies by BreathDeeply578</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29798619">Bunking Buddies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreathDeeply578/pseuds/BreathDeeply578'>BreathDeeply578</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Simonverse | Creekwood Series - Becky Albertalli</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Song Lyrics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:47:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,054</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29798619</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreathDeeply578/pseuds/BreathDeeply578</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrett and Cal end up being Dorm-mates as they all go to a school in Maine together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Garrett Laughlin/Cal Price</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bunking Buddies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Songs directly quoted. <br/>The Front Bottoms - Vacation Town<br/>Harry Styles- Adore you</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Bram thinks about college his stomach does both a sickly swoop of disappointment, and an intense squirm of happiness. He didn’t get into his first choices, or even his back up choices. He didn’t make it into any Ivy school.</p><p>It had been on a whim that he applied to the same school in Maine as Simon. He didn’t think he would go there, but hey, options were options. Then suddenly, Maine was the best option he received an acceptance letter from.</p><p>Maine was also going to give him a soccer scholarship, he hadn’t planned to play in college, but come on… A full ride was hard to turn down. Maine was hard to turn down. It made the squirm in his stomach, when he thinks about his failure, ease.</p><p>And it’s not like going to the same school as Simon was something to scoff at. He was looking forward to it. They had even talked about dorming together.</p><p>Garrett was also going to attend the school in Maine with a full ride soccer scholarship.</p><p>He and Garrett would get to keep playing together. Him and Simon wouldn’t have to do long distance.</p><p>Sometimes when he was feeling hopeful and less self-deprecating, he thought that this was how it was meant to be. That Ivy wasn’t as important as his father had led him to believe. It’s not like his father valued important relationships anyway…</p><p>Wait, he didn’t want to feel this resentment right now. He had been thinking happy things.</p><p>One of the Happy things he was thinking about is walking towards him now, big goofy smile on full display.</p><p>“Greenfeld, guess what came in the mail today? Information about dorming! There is a place to request a dormmate, I think it’s time for you to let me down gently.”</p><p>Because of course Garrett knew Bram was going to pick rooming with Simon over rooming with him. That didn’t mean he wasn’t a least a little disappointed about it.</p><p>“Man… I am sorry. You can come hang out with us anytime… but maybe text first…” Bram feels himself blush as he says this.</p><p>He isn’t sure he could live down Simon and him being caught in the act though…. Not that they had done a lot of ‘acts’ yet.</p><p>“Oh, don’t worry I will.” Garrett laughs, slapping Bram on the back good naturedly.</p><p>Simon sits down next to Bram, he is silently beaming. </p><p>“Hey guys!”</p><p>He seems so happy Bram finds it infectious.</p><p>“So guess what came in the mail today!” Simon says all smiles, while his moon-gray eyes linger on Bram. Bram doesn’t think he will ever get use to them.</p><p>“The information about room and board for Maine?” Bram ask cheekily.</p><p>“Correct, sexy boyfriend” Simon winks and Bram blushes.</p><p>He knows it’s only Garrett that hears them, but he still gets a little embarrassed by Simons attention. Garrett breezes past it anyway.</p><p>“And unlike myself you are confident that Bram is going to room with you, leaving me out in the cold.” Garrett huffs, though he is still smirking a little.</p><p>Simon has the courtesy to cringe and look apologetic.</p><p>“You know, I was talking to Cal.” Bram tenses at this, he wish he didn’t. “And he is also going to Maine. Might be worth looking into, at least you know him. You guys could spend sometime together and see if it clicks, before you are stuck in a room with someone for at least a whole semester.”</p><p>Garrett nods his head looking thoughtful, Simon had a point.</p><p>Then to the shock of the rest of the table that hadn’t been listening, and even to Bram who had been listening, Garrett stands right up and walks toward Cal, Taylor and Ethan’s table. They seem a little concerned about his approach. Garrett is kind of formidable to people that don’t know him for the softy he is.</p><p>Bram shushes the table wanting to ease drop, yeah it made him nosey, maybe he was picking up some of Simons traits. Maybe he would feel better if Garrett had a guarantee of a good roommate.</p><p>He doesn’t like to admit it, even in his head. But Cal is kind of a great guy. Bram also thinks that he and Garrett would have close to the same dynamic that Bram and Garrett share. But first Cal has to stop looking like Garrett is going to push him against the locker and call him a nerd.</p><p>“Can I sit here for a minute?” Garrett asks with a wave of confidence.</p><p>He acts like it isn’t a weird request to suddenly ask to sit with people he had never really sat with before. He acts like they aren’t “Theater Nerds” and he isn’t a “Dumb Jock”. Bram loves that about Garrett, he’d never adhere to stereotypes.</p><p>Ethan looks skeptical, he doesn’t trust Garrett at all. Bram feels a stab of guilt when he thinks about how long Ethan has been out, alone. It’s made him skittish, even though he tries desperately to hide that.</p><p>Garrett picks up on that, because Garrett is a preceptive guy and he shoots Ethan a goofy grin.</p><p>“I really just want to ask Cal something, nothing bad. Scouts Honor.”</p><p> Taylor scoffs.</p><p>“You are no boy scout Garrett.”</p><p>“True, but really I promise, just a quick word with Cal.” Garrett is trying to smooth over his unease.</p><p>In every situation Garrett always strives to be approachable. He wants people to feel safe and relaxed around him. The size of him, along with the air of cocky confidence he wears undermines this.</p><p>Bram sees Cal shoot his friends a look, that seems to communicate that they are being rude, and pulls out the chair next to him.</p><p>“Of course Garrett! What’s up?” Cal ask, with his sweet southern draw and deep blue eyes.</p><p>Damn he was pretty. It irritates Bram how pretty he is. Especially because it always caused a bout of insecurity, one that he had to stop by reminding himself that Simon chose him.</p><p>“So Cal, I heard you were planning on going to Maine?” Garrett says causally.</p><p>Cal nods looking confused.</p><p>“Cool, same honestly. And Bram is ditching me to room with Simon. Not that I can really be mad about that, they are basically soulmates.” Garrett scoffs, he is a little mad about it.</p><p>Cal tilts his head in question and actually makes some eye contact but doesn’t interrupt, which is good because Garrett is really easy to derail in a conversation.</p><p>“But anyways, if you hadn’t already had a plan, maybe we could room together. I got the letter in the mail today to request someone or just get paired randomly, we have a few months to send it back, so like no pressure… I know we aren’t close but… we could hang out and see if it would work. Or not. That’s totally fine too.”</p><p>Garrett seems suddenly nervous, like his talking to Leah nervous and Bram isn’t sure why.</p><p>“Can I think about it?” Cal ask sweetly.</p><p>And Garrett bobs his head nervously, stuttering out.</p><p>“Yeah…yeah of course. I know it’s like a weird request.”</p><p>Garrett is getting overwhelmed; his head is starting to move faster than his mouth. He will probably start saying weird things. Really, this is just like when he talks to Leah.</p><p>“Hey Garrett, it’s really not a weird request. Not at all.” Then Cal smoothly hands his phone to Garrett.</p><p>“Why don’t you put your number in? Then we can talk about it?”</p><p>Garrett looks like for a minute he forgot how a phone works, but he pulls himself together and puts his number in the phone, with a goofy smile on his face.</p><p>“Cool, alright then. I will talk to you later…” Garrett says, as he rubs the back of his neck nervously.</p><p>He looks like he is blushing, and Bram is just looking on in amazement and amusement. Simon has a look of amusement on his face as well and when Garrett walks back over, Simon openly laughs at him.</p><p>“Truly, smooth as butter Laughlin” Simon laughs out and Garrett shoots him a look.</p><p>“You are the one taking my Bram away Spier” There isn’t a touch of actual malice behind his voice.</p><p>The boys banter back and forth anyway. Bram loves how easy they get along, all his puzzles pieces fitting together so nicely….</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Simon was sitting crisscross in the middle of their bed. Even thought it was just the two twins pushed together, it still made Bram’s heart skip a beat when he thought about it as theirs. Simon hadn’t seemed to want to let him study for their finals right now, as he lounged in his boxer shorts and t-shirt, face flush and hand running over the blanket softly.</p><p>Simon wasn’t fooling Bram he knew exactly what he was doing, and Bram was contemplating standing up, locking their door and taking Simon up on his offer.</p><p>That’s when Garrett, without texting first, rushed into Simons and Bram’s room like the devil was on his heels.</p><p>Garrett looked alarming, wild eyed and skittish, face bet red and hands nervously pulling at his pullover.</p><p>Suddenly to add to the chaos, Garretts phone hooks to the Bluetooth speaker in their room, and The Front Bottoms are blasting through the speaker. Well, at least it was an appropriate hour, Bram thought as the cacophony  of “Vacation town” blast around them.</p><p>
  <em>“Back to back, you and me feel trapped”</em>
</p><p>Garrett looked close to crying, a dead panic cry, and Bram was not a fan.</p><p>“Garrett… Buddy. You okay?”</p><p>Garrett started pacing looking more unnerved.</p><p>
  <em>“I miss the hours in the morning and you in the morning hours”</em>
</p><p>“I think I’m gay” Garrett rushes out.</p><p>“Okay… that’s okay.” Bram says keeping his level head.</p><p>“I have to be right, like that is the only explanation” Garretts voice has raised about six octaves.</p><p>
  <em>“It’s okay no one’s around, I’m offseason vacation town”</em>
</p><p>“Garrett, we are going to need more information, so far you are just giving us freaked out identity crisis” Simon says, there is an edge of amusement in his voice. Bram tries to bite back his smile. He’s glad Simon is here to take the edge off of whatever was happening.</p><p>
  <em>“But I can only express my love when I’m fucked up or far far away”</em>
</p><p>“I’m in love with Cal” Garrett whispers out.</p><p>Bram laughs, looking over at Simon to see the same look of glee on his face.</p><p>
  <em>“Emotionally another headspace, Mentally I’m not even here”</em>
</p><p>“I’m sorry Laughlin, we thought you knew…” Simon says, trying to kill the mirth in his voice.</p><p>Bram looks over at Garrett who is clearly panicked and probably thinking the worst right now. Something like his two, gay, best friends not accepting his sexuality, suddenly Bram decided he needs to try harder.</p><p>“What does he mean ‘we thought you knew’ Bram” Garrett snaps. He looks so lost.</p><p>
  <em>“I miss the hours in the morning, And you in the morning hours”</em>
</p><p>Widely Bram still wanted to laugh, but really… Garrett has been so into Cal. Honestly probably since the beginning. That fateful day he went to ask him to dorm together. Which lead to the number exchange, followed by long drawn-out text conversations late into the night. Bram was sure Garrett had told Cal things that even Bram himself wasn’t privy of. Soon the text conversations became them constantly being around each other.</p><p> Then the cuddles.</p><p>Garrett was a tactile person, something Bram remembers being painfully aware of before he was out. Something under his skin had actually settled when Garrett hadn’t stopped hugging him after he was out to him. But with Cal? His affection was brought to a whole new level.</p><p>Bram thought maybe Garrett was having a hard time accepting his sexual orientation being something other than “straight as an arrow” and had been uncomfortable with the way it had shifted. Bram had contemplated that maybe Garrett was worried about his parents, who seemed much less friendly to Bram after he was officially out. He mused that maybe Garrett was worried about this all blowing up in his face fearing that Cal wouldn’t return his feelings, he did, and their friendship getting destroyed.</p><p>Bram had thought of a lot of reasons why Garrett hadn’t pursued Cal, he would have never guessed it was because Garrett didn’t know.</p><p>
  <em>“I miss walking naked through the backyard to get to the outdoor shower”</em>
</p><p>Garrett was staring waiting for Bram to answer.</p><p>“Dude, you’ve been into Cal since the beginning of the year at least, though probably more since the end of Senior year” Bram said gently. He really didn’t want to laugh. He wasn’t going to laugh.</p><p>
  <em>“I miss the way things use to be, I miss the way things use to be”</em>
</p><p>Garrett laughs but it sounds hysterical.</p><p>“Well, you could have fucking told me! Because I haven’t noticed, not one fucking bit. Not until he is singing and dancing around the room and all I can think… all I want is too…” Garretts voice drops off at the end.</p><p>Bram doesn’t notice the other visitor. He is looking at Garrett who is gripping his hair and has his eyes locked with Bram’s. Simon notices.</p><p>“OOO HEY CAL” Simon says, not keeping one ounce off cool. Not that he normally did.</p><p>Garrett looks horrified.</p><p>
  <em>“I want to be  that comfortable place where you write and read”</em>
</p><p>“… Garrett…” Cals voice says softly as he stepped toward Garrett from behind.</p><p>“O hey bud” Garrett responds, his voice sounds wet and small and not in his normal pitch at all.</p><p>“Hey, why’d you run away back there. You seriously just looked at me, then ran. Did I… Did I do something?” Cal looks upset at the possibility.</p><p>“What?” Garrett ask, turning to actually look at Cal.</p><p>“I just… you looked at me then ran away… You… You’re even wearing that weird sweater your grandmother gave you. The one that is strictly not worn outside the dorm.”</p><p>
  <em>“I miss the way things used to be, I miss the way things used to be”</em>
</p><p>Cal has a point now that Bram can think about it. The sweater does looks soft and comfortable, it also is a Christmas sweater… maybe… with kittens on it? What the hell?</p><p>“What?” Garrett ask again as he looks down.</p><p>“O right… Fuck this is not a good look” Garrett mumbles.</p><p>
  <em>“It's okay no one's around, I'm offseason vacation town”</em>
</p><p>“Yeah, not great. But don’t worry, I’m sure no babes saw you in it.” Cal is going for light and airy but he still isn’t sure what is going on, so instead it comes off tense and awkward.</p><p>Garrett cringes and Cal looks mortified.</p><p>Bram notices the song has ended and breaths a sigh of relief before the next song ques up.</p><p>
  <em>“Walk in your rainbow paradise”</em>
</p><p>Really what playlist is this? Bram ask himself as he watches the train wreak in front of him.</p><p>“Gar, really. What’s wrong.”</p><p>Cal places a hand on Garretts arm and squeezes. Then looks up at Garrett with his deep blue eyes and Garrett just sputters.</p><p>
  <em>“You don't have to say you love me, You don't have to say nothing”</em>
</p><p>“I think I love you.”</p><p>This clearly had not been the response Cal was expecting.</p><p>“Wh-What?” Cal asking looks stricken.</p><p>“Yeah…. Buts its totally fine. I get it if you don’t feel the same…. No worries.”</p><p>Garret eyes start to water and he huffs a breath irritated about it.</p><p>
  <em>“I'd walk through fire for you, Just let me adore you”</em>
</p><p>Garrett cringes and Bram thinks for the first time Garrett notices the music he is obnoxiously playing through the speakers as Harry Styles Coos out his deepest desires.</p><p>He looks mortified.</p><p>“What?” Cal says again, the shock still stuck on his face.</p><p>Garretts composer is slipping now.</p><p>“I think I’m a little gay?” Garrett says quickly and in a whisper.</p><p>
  <em>“Would you believe it?”</em>
</p><p>Then Cal is laughing, like gaffing laughs with gasp and snorting.</p><p>Garrett looks broken.</p><p>“Alright, you don’t have to be a dick about it” Bram grinds out.</p><p>How fucking dare he? Garrett is amazing and if Cal doesn’t see it then it’s his fucking lose.</p><p>Cal stops suddenly, looking horrified by his actions.</p><p>
  <em>“I just wanna tell you something,  Lately you've been on my mind”</em>
</p><p>“No… No please its not that. I’m just nervous.”</p><p>And suddenly Bram can see it, see how nervous Cal is and Garrett must see it too because he’s instantly rambling.</p><p>“No don’t be nervous, really its okay. We like, never have to talk about it ever again!” Garrett sounds frantic.</p><p>
  <em>“I'd walk through fire for you, Just let me adore you”</em>
</p><p>Cal doesn’t look like he apricates that offer at all.</p><p>“That’s not.. That’s not what I meant either” Cal says softly.</p><p>Bram watches as Cal takes a steadying breath.</p><p>“Those feelings, they are reciprocated… A lot. I.. I love you, a lot” Cal says.</p><p>He is blushing, hiding behind his bangs but Bram can still see the blush that is spreading down his face.</p><p>Garrett seems stunned into silence.</p><p>
  <em>“Just let me adore you, Like it's the only thing I'll ever do”</em>
</p><p>Garrett looks up and seems to notice that he is still in Simons and Bram’s room, he sees Cal sending them shy side glances.</p><p>Then he seems to come to a discission.</p><p>“Okay then. Yup…we are leaving now”</p><p>And without much fanfare, he grabs Cals hand and leads him out of the room and down the hallway, not even bothering to close the door behind them.</p><p>He hears Garretts voice laugh.</p><p>“If I new we were going to do this whole thing today I wouldn’t have worn my cat sweater.”</p><p>
  <em>“Just let me adore”</em>
</p><p>Harry Styles voice coos one last time loudly in the room before Garrett’s phone is out of reach and the speakers cut out.</p><p>Simon is wearing a smirk as he goes to closes and lock the door.</p><p>“Glad they worked that out. Now, where were we?”</p><p>Bram giggles as Simon tackles him down onto the bed. Yeah, this is where he is suppose to be, he thinks gleefully until Simon takes away his ability to think clearly for a while.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>